


Extra Sugar

by agrajag



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Flowers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22851637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: Richie took the time while waiting in line to look through the menu, doing the math to see what had the most caffeine and sugar combination. Which mean he hadn't noticed how cute the cashier was until it was his turn. He hadn't had time to mentally prepare for that, and he was sleep deprived and had absolutely no filter. He normally barely had one, but when he was this close to falling asleep on his feet, it was nothing but word vomit.He was so screwed."Hello," the cashier (Eddie, according to his name tag) charmingly cheerful. "Welcome to Hardscrabble Coffee. How can I help you?""Oh, you can help me inallkinds of ways."
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 8
Kudos: 94





	Extra Sugar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Noee_A](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noee_A/gifts).



It was the first day of a new semester, and Richie was tired. Well, he was sure everyone was tired, but the students hadn't been up the night before working on their class syllabus, had they? Although, it was his own fault he left it until the last minute. You would think he would have learned by now that just because he was teaching acting didn't mean it was magically easy. It was very much a _real_ class, and it not only surprised Richie's students every semester, but him as well.

So, yeah, he'd had maybe three hours of sleep -- if that. The bags under his eyes had bags. But it wasn't anything a little coffee couldn't cure.

He always carpooled with Bev and Stan, and thank God Bev had volunteered to drive the first day. Richie would have drove them straight into a ditch most likely. Unfortunately, she had arrived far too early -- that is to say, on time -- and Richie hadn't made his coffee yet. He stumbled out of his apartment as soon as he heard her car's annoyingly cheerful honk, his wallet already in hand.

"Coffee," he slurred.

"Most people say hi first," Bev said, annoyingly cheerful smile on her face. "But I have to admit, you present a compelling case. Stan first, though."

So they picked up Stan, who also actually looked awake the fucker, and stopped at a new coffee shop that Bev wanted to try out. The place was _packed_ , which pissed Richie off that they'd have to wait, but hey. At least that meant the coffee was good, right?

Richie took the time while waiting in line to look through the menu, doing the math to see what had the most caffeine and sugar combination. Which mean he hadn't noticed how cute the cashier was until it was his turn. He hadn't had time to mentally prepare for that, and he was sleep deprived and had absolutely no filter. He normally barely had one, but when he was this close to falling asleep on his feet, it was nothing but word vomit.

He was so screwed.

"Hello," the cashier (Eddie, according to his name tag) said, charmingly cheerful. "Welcome to Hardscrabble Coffee. How can I help you?"

"Oh, you can help me in _all_ kinds of ways."

Richie could hear Bev gasp behind him, and that was swiftly followed by a punch to his shoulder. Although that was probably Stan, but who knows.

"I'm so sorry about Richie," Bev said.

"Can't take you anywhere," Stan was mumbling as Richie was rubbing his sore shoulder.

"It's alright," Eddie said quickly, obviously trying to diffuse the situation, but he didn't look like it was alright. "What kind of coffee can I get you, sir?"

Richie gave his order, hopefully pronouncing it correctly, and added, "Sweet, just like you, sugar."

Eddie's face was red, and the small part of Richie's brain that was functioning normally bet he was two seconds away from risking his job to tell Richie exactly what he thought.

"Coming right up," he said through gritted teeth.

Richie was about to flirt some more, but Stan steered him down to the pick up area. Bev ordered her and Stan's drinks, apologizing once more to Eddie before paying. She joined them and immediately slapped Richie right where Stan had punched him.

"Ow! Bev! That area is already bruised! Why the hell would you aim _right there_?"

"You can't just flirt with people while they're working!" she yelled at him, ignoring his totally legit question.

"But he's the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

Stan scoffed.

Wow. Rude. Stan had awful taste, obviously.

"That doesn't matter," Bev continued. "He can't say anything, negative _or_ positive, without fear of repercussion."

"Too early for such big words. Need caffeine."

"You put him in a shitty position, Rich. I need you to understand that what you did is wrong."

"But cute," Richie said as another employee called his name. 

He grabbed his drink and chugged half of it, burning the roof of his mouth.

Stan shook his head.

"He's useless."

Once he and Bev got their drinks, they were out the door, and Richie was about to cry. He was never going to see the love of his life again. Because it was definitely love at first site, and Richie wanted to whisk Eddie away so they could get their happily ever after.

It wasn't until halfway through his first class, when the caffeine really kicked in, that a wave of embarrassment hit him. How could he have said that to poor Eddie, who was just trying to get that bread? He knew Bev had apologized for him (profusely) but that wasn't good enough. He had to do something. He counted down the minutes to his lunch break and then went running to the nearest flower shop to buy Eddie the biggest bouquet he could find. 

Just... not roses. He'd already come on too strong.

When Richie arrived at Hardscrabble Coffee, Eddie was miraculously on his break. He was sitting at one of the tables, eating a homemade sandwich, and Richie easily slid into the seat across from him. He couldn't see Eddie over the flowers, but his silence spoke volumes.

"It's, uh, Richie. The guy from this morning."

"Oh, I remember," Eddie said dryly.

"I just want to say I'm so sorry for being a dick. I was sleep deprived, which isn't an excuse, but I'm usually nicer than that. And my pick up lines are far better."

Eddie actually laughed at that, so Richie was feeling good about this whole apology thing.

"So, these are for you. I think they're daisies."

"They are," Eddie confirmed. "And thankfully I'm not allergic to them." He paused for a moment, probably taking another bite of his lunch. "You do know you're kinda only making things worse, right? This is all still embarrassing."

Richie looked around the coffee shop and noticed that, yeah, he had gained them a bit of an audience. The entire coffee shop, including Eddie's co-workers, were watching the two of them intently -- as if they were a soap opera. 

"God, I'm so stupid. I'm sorry. I can take the flowers back."

He went to move the bouquet off the table only to be stopped by Eddie's hand on his wrist.

"No, I didn't say that. You gave me these flowers. They're mine now."

Richie laughed.

"Oh, so you do like them?"

"Yeah, it was nice of you. I still wish you hadn't brought a shit ton of flowers to my job, but thank you. It was very sweet of you."

"Sweet, yeah. I'm so sweet. And I would love to show you more examples of how sweet I can be, but I know that it's wrong to ask someone out when they're working."

Eddie picked up the flowers and set them to the side so that he could actually look Richie in the eyes.

"I mean, I'm not technically working. I'm on my break."

"Yeah, that is true. Although I believe that you shouldn't clock out for a lunch break. Like, you're stuck at work still. You should be paid for this."

"Also a sweet sentiment, but I'm waiting."

"Oh, yeah, right. Eddie, would you like to get dinner with me sometime?"

"Hhmmm, I don't know," Eddie said pretending to think about it. "I don't think I should go out with someone who hits on poor service workers."

Richie's face fell. Shit, he should have known...

"I'm just kidding," Eddie said. "I'll go to dinner with you, as long as you promise that you won't do anything embarrassing at my work ever again."

"I honestly don't think I can make that promise because just being myself, I am incredibly embarrassing, but I'll make it if it gets you to say yes."

"Wow. A fantastic start to our relationship... you lying," Eddie said, that adorable deadpan tilt back. "But you're cute, so I accept."

Eddie had to move the flowers once more to get to the napkin dispenser. He took one out and a pen from his pocket and wrote down a number.

"Call me, or text is you're a texter, and we can discuss a date and time and everything."

Richie picked up the napkin and held it to his chest. He was going to cherish that napkin forever. Or until it started to crumble apart.

"Alright. Now I'd appreciate it if you left so I can eat the rest of my lunch in peace."

"Yeah. Right," Richie said, standing up and knocking on the table. "Got it."

\--------------------------------------

The date was surprisingly a success. As hopeful as Richie had been, he had been so nervous as well -- that starting off on the wrong foot was too much of a hurdle to overcome.

But the date went well. The second one was even better. The third date kiss sent Richie over the moon. And before he knew it, he and Eddie were, as one might say, going steady.

Richie would still visit Eddie at the coffee shop when he could, and now that they were together, he could flirt with him without feeling bad.

Only a little bit, though, and he never brought a 'shit ton' of daisies ever again.

He was saving those for their anniversary.

**Author's Note:**

> finishing up love week soon and this was a prompt from Noee_A
> 
> i hope i did it justice! i've actually never done a coffee shop AU despite working in a coffee shop for about eight years lol


End file.
